


New Fears

by PrincessAmericaChavez



Series: Critical Role Prompts [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Stream (Critical Role), Session Zero, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-19 17:11:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13708956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessAmericaChavez/pseuds/PrincessAmericaChavez
Summary: He’s drowning, all over again, deep in the ocean, he feels it burn his lungs and tastes the salt in his mouth, the entire world spins and shifts around himand Jester’s still not moving.(Just picturing that thing about their session 0 because angst).





	New Fears

**Author's Note:**

> PROMPT: travis and laura said in the first talks that in the pre-stream mini game they did (i think with marisha?), jester almost died and fjord spent his only potion on her. you should write something about that, pleasee <3 —anon.

It’s not like this is their first fight. As a matter of fact, they’ve found themselves their fair share of trouble on the road. Even though it’s only been a couple weeks, he’s beginning to suspect trouble follows Jester wherever she goes. Not that he minds, really, he’s no stranger to complicated situations. 

Besides, they make a pretty good team. Jester’s magic is pretty amazing, it seems to come natural to her, and unlike him she’s not scared of what she can do. There’s a joy to everything she does that, even in the heat of battle, he can’t help but admire. She keeps her distance but deals some pretty heavy blows and is great at distracting their enemies, allowing Fjord to come closer and fighting with his falchion, even attempt one or two magic things. 

Also, Jester is quite adamant that she heals him after every battle, no matter how much he insists that he’s fine. It’s odd, having someone looking after him like that after being on his own for so long. He asks her once and she replies with a shrug, “because we are friends! And we are a team!” A pretty good team, haven’t found a situation they can’t deal with, until now. 

The problem with the damn snake, he decides mid-battle, is its size and its speed. They keep trying to stay out of its way but the damn thing snipes at them and moving out of the way is damn near impossible. His blade is no use against the thing when he can’t reach it. Beauregard, the new girl they met the day before, is good at evading blows but can’t get close enough either. Jester’s magic is what’s doing best, with a few blasts and her second image keeping the snake occupied.

This would be a lot easier if they didn’t have to worry about its prey: a young human girl who’s sobbing loudly, no matter how much Jester tries to reassure her from afar.

And then he sees it. First, he’s convinced the snake’s tail attacked Jester’s mirror image. Then, he sees her stumble, dazed by the strong hit to her head. Once the monster figures out who the real tiefling is, it snipes at her again, all teeth and venom that pierce through her shoulder. 

Jester  _screams_  in pain and the sound sends a ripple down Fjord’s whole body. Then she falls to the ground, like a broken doll, and he can’t breathe. He’s drowning, all over again, deep in the ocean, he feels it burn his lungs and tastes the salt in his mouth, the entire world spins and shifts around him and  _Jester’s still not moving._

A salty breeze seems to pick up around him, messing his hair and sticking to his skin. He feels all of his anger and frustration and fears gather around him, climbing down his limbs, focusing inside his chest. In his hand, the falchion grows arm and trembles suddenly soaked. He doesn’t even think, he just points and blasts the damn thing with every bit of his strength. It hits it right on its core. The snake recoils with a hiss, away from Jester, letting go of the little girl in the process. 

The monstrous animal is looking quite hurt, but not death yet. Fjord curses under his breath as he rushes forward, to position himself between it and Jester, fearing it’ll try to attack his friend while she’s down. He prepares himself to fend off any other attacks, but Beauregard is in there in a blink. She seems to have taken advantage of his spell attack to get close enough. With a blow from her staff and two punches, she finishes the creature off in a rather brutal manner. Fjord can’t say he minds.

As soon as he’s sure the thing’s dead, he turns to Jester, kneeling by her side. 

“Damn, dude, is she alright?!” Beau asks, rushing forward.

“She’s breathing,” he manages to say, holding her head gently, afraid to move her. “Jester? C’mon, Jes, wake up.”

_Nothing._

His heart twists. Something seems to move inside his gut, something alive and angry and powerful that he’s been trying to keep in check. He pushes it back, because right now Jester needs him and he has to focus. Focus. Beau is talking, what’s she saying?

“…stabilize her but I don’t have a damn medical kit anymore. Should’ve gotten one. Or a fucking potion or something.”

“Oh, I’ll be damned!” Fjord snaps at himself as he remembers his most recent trip to the store. 

He reaches into his bag and, with trembling fingers, struggles to find the small vial he’d gotten himself for emergencies. Jester had chided him for spending so much gold on it when she was around to heal him, he remembers ironically as he pours the liquid into her lips.

The seconds it takes for it to work are probably the longest in his life —or second longest, right next to drowning in the bottom of the ocean— but her eyes finally open and she gasps for air. Jester’s arms flap around, as if she was trying to hold on to something, as if she’d been falling into darkness. Her hand slaps his chest twice before he catches it firmly inside his.

“Hey, there,” he says, softly. 

“Fjord.” Her whole body seems to relax when she says his name. The tension inside his own chest melts as well, letting the storm in his chest become a calm sea once more.

“Gave us quite a scare back there,” Fjord scolds her gently.

“Yeah, dude, don’‘t  _do_ that again,” Beau says, standing behind Fjord. 

They both turn to her, surprised by her presence. They’ve gotten used to being just the two of them. There’s a sudden tension in the air that he can’t quite explain. He feels as if they’d been caught red handed in the middle of…  _something_. Not that there’d been anything going on other than a talk. Still, he feels as if Beau’d just seen something quite intimate. 

“I….. I’m going to check on the girl,” Beau says, catching on it and all but running away.

Fjord clears his throat. It doesn’t help his confusion the way Jester smiles at him, as if she knew something he doesn’t. She tries to sit up, then winces with a pained squeak.

“You- You alright?” He asks quickly, holding her back to help her up.

“Yes, but my body hurts a lot,” she groans, pouting. “I don’t think I have any magic left to heal myself.”

“It’s okay, Jes, you’ll just sleep it off and heal a little more tomorrow mornin’,” he assures her, wishing he could do more for her.

“How did you heal me?”

“Uh, well, I had a potion…”

“You gave me your healing potion?!” Jester asks, blinking at him, all wide violet eyes. For an instant, she looks very touched, before she hides behind a more simple smile. “Thank you, Fjord,” she sing-songs, tilting her head down to hide what he suspects to be a blush. 

His face flushes too.

“Uh, c’mon, I’ll help you up,” he grumbles, a little awkwardly. 

He ends up carrying her in his arms all the way back to the inn. Even though his arms hurt by the time they get there and he’s sure she could’ve walked all by herself after a couple minutes, it’s worth it just to hold her and remember she’s still here. He didn’t lose her. The idea of losing her is so horrifying that he knows right then and there: trouble may follow Jester everywhere, but it might as well get in line because he’s planning to follow too, wherever she goes.


End file.
